Improved device for preventing



.as indicated by the arrow i in Figrl.

' hill or embankment.

UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

L. D. VALItA'D, OF SYAMORE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVE!) DEVlCE FOR PREVENTlNGSNOW-DRIFTS 0N RAILROAD-TRACKS.

. To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, L. D. WALRAD,'0E Sycamore, in the, county of De Kalb and State of lllinis, have invented a new and useful Deby vice to Prevent Snow lirom Drifting ou Railroads; and I do hereby declare thatI the following is a iull,clear, and exact description thereof, which u ill enable others skilled in 'the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figures 1 and 2 aretransverse vertical scctions of' n y invention, taken in the line av ze, Fig. 3; Fin'. 3, a-sidc or' face view ofthe saine.

Similar letters ol' rc'ference. indicate like parts.

The object of this invention is to oblainav means whereby snow will be prevented from drifting and accumulating on railroads, where the latter are by the sides'pof hills or have an elevation at one side ot' them.

A Arepresents arailroadtrack,and B a hill or rising ground at one side of the track. When a track passes by the side ot' a hill in Vthis way the snow is sure to accumulate upon it in drifts, if the wind be blowing over the track at or about at right angles therewith,l and in adirectionirom th'ehillorembankment,

l This reresultjs due to cddies formed at the lee ofthe My invention fully obviates this diiiioulty, and, when constructed in the most approved way', consists, in insertinga series of upright posts, c, in thc top of the hill or embankment, at its edge, and a series of inclined postsb, inserted inthe hill, near its bot-tom,'the posts u. b being in line .with each other and connected by inclined stripsc, whicli form supportsfordoors or shutters CC', hinged or jointed at their upper ends to the framing formed by the strips and posts. These doors or shutters are provided with bolts or catches d, to admit of them being secured in different position.- There are two rows of doors or shutters, and when both are secured or fastened so as to be in the same plane with the strips c, as shown in Figs. l and 3, by this means an inclined plane is formed at the side of the hill, and duringV snow-storms, with the wind. blowing in the direction indicated by arrow] the snow, instead of being allowed to accumulate in drifts on the track, will be blowndown between the hill andthe inclined plane and forced entirely over the track, as indicated by the arrows 2 in Fig. l. The inclined plane forms a draft-passage at the side of the hill and etiectn-.illy prevents eddie's at that point, and consequently the snow cannot lodge in drifts on the track. The lower part ot' the draftpassage formed by the inclined plane may be increased or diminished in capacity by adjusting the lower rows oi' doors or shutters, C. In Fig. l-the doorsU are shown adjuster-l in red, so as to counteract or diminish the throat of the draft-passage, and thethroat,`when thus co'untcraeted,increases the velocityot' the wind over the track.

Itis preferable to have the inclined plane formed of doors or shutters, as described, in order to admitof the \-aryingot'the capacity of the throat oi' the draft-passage, as described, .and also to admit ot' the upper row ot' doors or shutters being adjusted in a vertical position to serve as afence in summer at the top or upper edge ot' the hill, (see Fig. 21;) but an inclined plane may be made in a single piece or without adjustable sections or doors, and still answer a very good purpose.

This invention is only designed to be applied in those cases where the road passes by the side ot" a hill,.and it is of greatest service when applied to a hillat the west side ofthe rond, as the heaviestsnowsstorms occur when the wind is blowingfrom the west or northwest.

^ I claim as new and desire to secure by Letvters Patent- L. l). vWALRA'D.

Witnesses WM. DEAN OVEREL, M. M. LrViNGs'roN. 

